Denver Nuggets even series with Minnesota Timberwolves 2-2 - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — Nikola Jokic burned a double-team by finding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope open for a 3 then notched a steal and hit a streaking Michael Porter Jr. for a fastbreak dunk before Jamal Murray collected another steal and swished a 55-foot heave from the Target Center logo beyond the half-court line at the buzzer.

In the span of 20 dizzying seconds, the Denver Nuggets scored eight points to sprint into halftime of Game 4 up by 15. The flurry left the Minnesota Timberwolves and the crowd stunned while propelling Denver to a 115-107 win to even the Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2.

The Nuggets left Denver on Thursday down 2-0 and feeling as if many had counted them out against the upstart Wolves. The Nuggets return to Colorado having reclaimed their championship swagger back and with home-court advantage back in their pocket.

Asked what his team found in Minneapolis during these two road games, Denver coach Michael Malone quoted former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich.

«What I found is Rudy T is right, man,» Malone said. "'Never underestimate the heart of a champion.' They were quick to write us off, but these guys, we won a championship a year ago. We went into Miami (in the NBA Finals), won two games in a row. This team has been tested time and time again, and we found a way to solve whatever's been thrown at us.

«This series is a long way from being over. We're not celebrating, it's 2-2.… But what I found about our group is that they do believe in themselves. And more importantly, they believe in the man next to them. We have a group that is acting as you would hope a championship team would act.»

Unlike their Game 2 debacle when Minnesota's defense suffocated them, 106-80, in Denver, the Nuggets